JP2001319160A - Commodity house delivery system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a commodity home delivery system where a commodity is smoothly received from a retailer and the commodity is smoothly delivered to a customer and the commodity can be received at a place and time designated by the customer. SOLUTION: The management system which can transmit information among the retailer, a delivery agent and the customer through an information communication network obtains present position information of the delivery agent who periodically patrols a traveling route connecting one or a plurality of commodity receiving places of the retailer, which are previously set, and one or a plurality of commodity delivery places of the customer on a real time basis, calculates delivery schedule time to the delivery place based on present position information, displays it with commodity information and transmits order information and deliver designation information from the customer to the delivery agent.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a product delivery system for executing a product order to a retailer and a product delivery by a delivery company.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as one type of business transaction between a retailer and a customer, a customer orders goods from the retailer,
There is a product delivery system in which a retailer who receives an order delivers the product to a customer. For example, a customer calls a personal store, a convenience store or a mail order company,
Desired product content using facsimile or mail,
Order by specifying quantity. In recent years, electronic commerce at virtual stores called electronic malls on the Internet has been spreading, and ordering goods via the Internet has also become widespread.

[0003] The retailer who receives these orders checks the stock of the product, and arranges for shipping if the stock is available. The retailer itself may have a delivery department, or may be outsourced to an external delivery company. These carriers will pick up the merchandise from the retailer and deliver it to the customer who ordered it.

[0004]

In the delivery of goods, a customer may be able to specify a desired delivery place and delivery time to some extent. For example, a convenient place or time zone such as morning, afternoon or night is specified as the delivery place, such as home or work, and the delivery time is specified. However, as for the delivery time, it is not guaranteed that the delivery will be made surely at the designated time or time zone. In many cases, this is an effort target and is highly dependent on the delivery schedule and traffic conditions for the day.

[0005] This can be said to be one of the major complaints for customers using the home delivery system. The customer must be waiting at the designated location and time, and if the delivery carrier arrives late, the customer must continue to wait. If the delivery company arrives too early, the customer may not be at the designated place.

If the customer is absent when the goods are delivered, extra work such as filling in an absent delivery notice or the like and re-delivery is required for the delivery company. Also, if the delivery location and delivery time to the customer or the product pickup location and delivery time from the retailer are instructed by mobile phone or wireless communication while the delivery vehicle is moving, depending on the point and time when the instruction is received, It may not be possible to go to the indicated location on time.

[0007] Retailers that ship goods also have similar problems with delivery of goods to delivery companies. That is, if the time for the delivery company to pick up the goods is uncertain, it also hinders efficient business execution.

In view of the above situation, it is an object of the present invention to ensure that goods are picked up from a retailer and delivered to a customer smoothly, and that the customer reliably receives the goods at a designated place at a designated time. It is to provide a product delivery system that can do it.

[0009]

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following arrangement. (1) In a goods delivery system in which a customer places an order for a product of a retailer and a delivery company picks up the product from the retailer and delivers the product to the customer, each of the products is distributed between the retailer, the delivery company, and the customer. A management system capable of transmitting information via an information communication network, the management system connecting one or more commodity pickup locations of the retailer and one or more commodity delivery locations of the customer, which are set in advance. The real-time acquisition of the current location information of the delivery company that periodically patrols the traveling route to be performed, the management system calculates a scheduled delivery time to the product delivery location based on at least the current location information, Presenting the estimated delivery time to the customer via the information communication network together with the product information obtained from the retailer;
The customer transmits, to the management system, delivery designation information designating a product delivery place and a delivery time together with the product order information for ordering a desired product, and the management system transmits the product order information and the delivery designation information to the management system. Transmit to the delivery company.

(2) In the configuration of the above (1), the management system transmits to the delivery company information indicating the product pick-up place and the pick-up time so as to replenish the goods at the product pick-up place. I do.

(3) In the configuration of (1) or (2), the management system creates a tour schedule for the delivery company to periodically go around the route, and transmits the schedule to the delivery company. .

(4) In any one of the above constitutions (1) to (3), the management system acquires the current position information of the delivery company by using GPS.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a schematic overall configuration diagram of a goods delivery system 10 according to the present invention. This system is
It is established by the participation of the customer 20, the retailer 22, the delivery company 18, and the management system 14 as four components. Generally, a plurality of components other than the management system 14 exist. All four of them are Internet 1
2 comprising means for connecting to a telecommunications network, preferably a customer 20, a retailer 22 and a distributor 18.
Can communicate information with the management system 14 (in FIG. 1, indicated by solid broken lines). Hereinafter, the case where the information communication network is the Internet will be described as an example.

Preferably, management system 14 is a server computer with a suitable mass storage device. The management system 14 processes all information to execute the present system and controls the flow of information. Information on the system is stored in a database 15 in a mass storage device.
Is stored as

[0015] The customer 20 and the retailer 22 are equipped with terminal devices capable of connecting to the Internet, connect to the Internet 12 using these terminals, and exchange information with the management system 14. For example, modem or terminal
A personal computer, a mobile phone, a television capable of digital two-way communication, or the like can be connected to the Internet via an adapter.

A delivery company (actually, a delivery vehicle as shown) 18 is also equipped with the terminal device capable of connecting to the Internet as described above. For example, a personal computer installed in the vehicle itself or a mobile phone carried by a delivery person may be used.

The plurality of delivery vehicles 18 periodically traverse a predetermined trajectory linking traversing sites associated with the plurality of retailers 22 and the plurality of customers 20 participating in the present system (in FIG. 1, (Indicated by wavy lines). The traveling base of the delivery vehicle 18 in the present system is a place where the delivery company 18 picks up the ordered goods, that is, a place where the goods inventory is located, with respect to the retailer 22. Further, the customer 20 is a place where the delivery company 18 delivers the ordered goods, that is, a place where the goods are received.

In a preferred example of the present system, it is desirable that the participating customers 20, the retailers 22, and the delivery companies 18 register in advance in the present system, respectively. Then, for example, at the time of participation registration, the retailer 22 registers the merchandise pickup place and the pickable time zone. The retailer 22 may store inventory in, for example, a plurality of warehouses, and in such a case, a plurality of merchandise pickup locations exist. In addition, the customer 20 registers a product delivery place at the time of participation registration. A customer may have a plurality of product delivery locations, for example, a home and a workplace. These pre-registered basic registration data are stored in the database 15, and based on that, the management system 14
8 can be created and distributed to each delivery vehicle 18. Retailer 22 or customer 20
However, when it is desired to change the basic registration data, the change data is transmitted to the management system 14. On the other hand, the management system 14 updates the basic registration data in the database 15 and reviews the route of the delivery vehicle to optimize it.

It should be noted that the Internet-connected terminal devices of the customer 20 and the retailer 22 need not necessarily be located at the patrol base. For example, the customer 20 and the retailer 22 can exchange information with the management system 14 at any time and from any place by using a mobile phone with an Internet connection.

Further, the delivery vehicle 18 in the present system
Is equipped with a position recognition system for acquiring current position information. A preferred example of the position recognition system is a communication satellite 16.
Global Positioning System (G
PS). The GPS is already used in a car navigation system and the like, and there is no problem in providing the GPS to the delivery vehicle 18. Thus, the delivery vehicle 18 continuously transmits information on the current position during the tour to the management system 14 via the communication satellite 16 (indicated by a dashed line in FIG. 1). Thereby, the management system 14 can grasp the current position of the delivery vehicle 18 in real time.

Basically, the delivery vehicle 18 has the management system 1
Based on the instruction information from 4, the user will only drop in at the retailer 22 or the patrol base of the customer 20 who needs to drop in.

In the present system, since the delivery vehicle 18 periodically traverses a predetermined route, it is efficient if the system is implemented in a form composed of retailers and customers located in a certain area. However, the system can be implemented regardless of the area in which it is implemented. In the case of implementation in a wide area, it is possible to cope with the problem by increasing the number of delivery vehicles 18 to be regularly patroled.

Next, the flow of the operation of the present system configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 schematically shows the direction and contents of information flow between the components of the system. In FIG. 2, the Internet network and the satellite communication network interposed in the information communication are omitted.

In this figure, a customer 20 and a retailer 22 are shown.
The delivery company 18 is actually a terminal which can be connected to the Internet, and exchanges information with the management system 14 by these. Except that the current position information of the delivery company (delivery vehicle) 18 is automatically sent to the management system 14 by GPS, other information transmission is performed by a website provided by the management system 14 on the Internet. Customer 2 to a certain management site
0, the information is registered and referenced by accessing the retailer 22 and the delivery company 18. In the following description, information passed from the customer 20, the retailer 22, and the delivery company 18 to the management system 14 is referred to as “registration data” (open arrows in FIG. 2), and information delivered from the management system to these is referred to as “registration data”. This is referred to as “reference data” (in FIG. 2, a hatched arrow).

The form of the management site on the Internet includes a customer 20, a retailer 22, and a delivery company 18.
It is preferable in terms of security to provide a dedicated site separately for each of the above. What is a dedicated site?
A site for customers, a site for retailers, and a site for delivery companies. As a method of accessing the dedicated site, for example, it may be possible to directly access each dedicated site from the beginning, or to jump to each dedicated site using a password after once accessing a common management site. It may be.

First, the retailer 22 operates the management system 1
As the registration data for 4, information on the own store, information on the product (product name, product specification, price, payment method, etc.), inventory information (available number, which product pickup place is located, expected arrival date, etc.) Is transmitted from the terminal to the management system 14. It is preferable that the retailer 22 sequentially updates the registration data so that the registration data is the latest one.

On the other hand, the delivery company 18 manages the management system 14
The transmission information including the current position and the delivery status is transmitted as registration data to the server. The registration data from the delivery company 18 is almost real-time data. The information on the current position is automatically transmitted from time to time by the GPS system to the management system as described above. The information on the delivery status is information indicating whether or not each of the items related to picking up the merchandise from the retailer and delivering the merchandise to the customer has already been completed. This is because the delivery company 18 inputs the information to the terminal at the end of each pick-up or delivery, so that the management system 1
4 is transmitted.

For example, at the time of starting the regular patrol of the day, the delivery company 18 refers to the delivery company site on the Internet, acquires the tour schedule of the day from the management system 14, and starts the tour. Thereafter, the registration data such as the current position and the delivery status is sent to the management system 14, so that the management system 14 may review the initial patrol schedule and make corrections to optimize it. The delivery company 18 confirms the correction of the tour schedule by referring to the delivery company site, and continues the tour according to the new tour schedule.

Upon receiving the registration data from the retailer 22, the management system 14 stores the latest data in the database 15 and updates the store information, product information, and stock information to be presented on the customer site. As a result, the customer can refer to various kinds of information about the product, such as what store can be purchased in what store, and how much can be purchased. In addition, even if it is the registration data from the retailer 22, data that does not need to be presented to the customer site, such as information related only to the delivery company such as a product pickup place, is not presented.

Further, the management system 14 includes the delivery company 1
Registration data from 8 (including current location information by GPS)
, The estimated arrival time of the delivery vehicle at the patrol base of the customer, that is, the estimated delivery time is calculated. Various methods are possible for the specific calculation of the estimated delivery time. Of course, in the present system, it is preferable to consider as much as possible the factors that affect the scheduled delivery time, since the purpose is to ensure that there is no difference between the scheduled delivery time and the actual delivery time.
For example, based on data such as the current location of a delivery vehicle, delivery status, the distance to the retailer's patrol base, the distance to the customer's patrol base or traffic conditions, etc. Calculate whether you can receive the product. Delivery company 18 in this system
May pass through the same patrol base several times because of regular patrol. In such a case, a plurality of estimated delivery times are calculated. The calculated estimated delivery time is presented on the customer site. For example, "Scheduled delivery time to home is 1:00 and 7:00 pm today", or "Scheduled delivery time to workplace is 11:00 am and 5:00 pm today".

It is preferable that the customer site has a search function so that the customer can refer to the site efficiently. After referring to the merchandise information and the delivery schedule information, the customer inputs merchandise order information including the merchandise content and quantity, and delivery designation information for specifying a delivery place and a delivery time to the terminal. The management system 14 receives the transmitted information.

The management system 14, which has received the product order information and the delivery designation information, compares the contents of these information with the registered data at that time, and if the order can be executed, confirms that the order has been accepted. Reply to customer. Note that the registration data from the retailer 22 may be updated irregularly, and the registration data from the delivery company 18
Because the information is updated almost in real time, it may be impossible to execute the order content when the order information is received. In that case, a reply to the customer that the order cannot be accepted is returned. At the same time, the reference data provided to the customer site is updated.

After receiving the order, the management system 14
Transmits necessary information as reference data to each of the retailer 22 and the delivery company 18 to deliver the ordered product to the customer. Product order information including the product content and quantity is transmitted to the retailer 22. on the other hand,
To the delivery company 18, product order information including the product content and quantity, and delivery designation information for designating a delivery place and a delivery time are transmitted.

If the delivery company 18 needs to pick up the product from the retailer 22 prior to delivery, the information on the location and time of picking up the product is sent to both the retailer 22 and the delivery company 18. Transmit. The merchandise pick-up location and pick-up time are determined so that the management system 14 becomes optimal conditions in light of the situation at that time. Further, if the tour schedule needs to be corrected due to the occurrence of the new order, the tour schedule after the correction is transmitted to the delivery company 18.

Thereafter, the delivery company 18 picks up the merchandise from the retailer at the merchandise pick-up location according to the traveling schedule, and delivers the merchandise to the customer at the specified delivery time at the specified merchandise delivery location.

In another embodiment, the delivery company 1
8 may patrol the delivery vehicle while always loading a predetermined product. In this case, the delivery company 18
When the merchandise order information is received from the management system 14, it is possible to go directly to the merchandise delivery location of the customer 20 without supplying the merchandise by the retailer 22. And, if the predetermined goods being loaded are running short,
The retailer 22 stops at the commodity trading place to supply the commodity. The replenishment at the merchandise pickup location may also be performed according to an instruction from the management system. Further, the delivery company 18 may be previously incorporated in the tour schedule so as to periodically supply the goods.

[0037]

According to the merchandise delivery system according to the present invention, the retailer and the delivery company provide the merchandise information and the delivery information through the network, and the customer refers to the information and determines the desired delivery place and delivery time. It is possible to specify and order a desired product, and to receive the product at the specified place and time.

In particular, the present system is used by consumers who have difficulty in going to a store for shopping, for example, the elderly and their parents, busy workers, etc. by using the network to suit their own convenience. This is useful in that the delivery place and delivery time can be selected.

Further, the retailer and the delivery company can disclose the product information, the stock information, the delivery information, and the like to the customer, thereby realizing the improvement of the supply and the delivery efficiency and the reduction of the cost. Retailers can operate without establishing an actual store. Also, the delivery company can avoid unattended delivery and redelivery. In addition, if the spread of this system reduces the frequency of customers visiting actual stores,
Since the vehicle usage can be reduced, it also contributes to solving environmental problems and traffic problems.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic overall configuration diagram of a commodity delivery system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the direction and contents of information flow between components of the commodity delivery system according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Commodity delivery system 12 Information communication network 14 Management system 15 Management database 16 Communication satellite 18 Delivery company 20 Customer 22 Retail company

Continued on the front page F-term (reference)

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A merchandise delivery system in which a customer orders a merchandise item of a retailer and a delivery company picks up the merchandise from the retailer and delivers the merchandise to the customer, wherein each of the retailer, the delivery agent, and the customer And a management system capable of communicating information between the retailer and one or more merchandise pickup locations of the retailer and one or more merchandise delivery locations of the customer set in advance. The real-time acquisition of the current location information of the delivery company that periodically patrols the traveling route connecting the, the management system calculates the estimated delivery time to the product delivery location based on at least the current location information Presenting the estimated delivery time to the customer via the information communication network together with the product information obtained from the retailer; Transmits, to the management system, delivery designation information designating a product delivery location and a delivery time together with the product order information for ordering a desired product, and the management system transmits the product order information and the delivery designation information to the delivery company. A goods delivery system characterized by transmitting to 2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the management system transmits to the delivery company information indicating the goods pick-up place and the pick-up time so as to supply the goods at the goods pick-up place. Product delivery system described in. 3. The management system according to claim 1, wherein the management system creates a tour schedule for the delivery company to periodically go around the tour route and transmits the schedule to the delivery company. Product delivery system. 4. The goods delivery system according to claim 1, wherein the management system acquires the current location information of the delivery company by using GPS.